Tajuan Jamestown, a 19-year-old male from Anchorage, Alaska, was killed in a shooting during the early morning hours of July 21, 2026. Publicly available sources do not identify his race or ethnicity. Jamestown, whose first name is also spelled “Tajaun” in Adams State University records, was a college student and basketball player at Adams State University in Colorado. He was a guard on the men’s basketball team and was pursuing a bachelor’s degree in business administration.
He had graduated from Alamosa High School and was visiting his hometown of Anchorage when he died.
At approximately 1:12 a.m. on July 21, Anchorage police officers were dispatched to the 8000 block of East 5th Avenue after reports of gunfire. When officers entered a residence, they found Jamestown and another man, Spencer King, suffering from gunshot wounds to their upper bodies. Emergency medical personnel responded, but both men were pronounced dead at the scene. King was identified as Jamestown’s stepfather in Adams State’s basketball roster information, adding a close family connection between the two people found inside the home.
Anchorage police opened an investigation into what happened inside the residence. Authorities said detectives contacted everyone they believed was involved in or connected to the incident and announced that they were not searching for anyone else. Police characterized the shooting as an isolated incident and said there was no continuing threat to the public. The investigation nevertheless remained active as detectives reviewed evidence and worked to establish the circumstances surrounding both deaths.
Public reporting through August 2026 has not identified a named suspect in Jamestown’s death, and no arrest or criminal charge connected specifically to the shooting has been publicly announced. Police have also not publicly described a motive or explained exactly how the two men came to be shot. One later report noted that available information did not establish whether investigators were dealing with a double homicide or a murder-suicide. Because police have said there is no suspect at large while withholding further details about what occurred inside the residence, the precise sequence of events and responsibility for the shootings remain publicly unresolved.
Jamestown’s death prompted mourning at Adams State University, where he had recently completed a season with the basketball program. University officials remembered him for his personality, smile and potential as a student and athlete, while expressing condolences to his family and communities in both Colorado and Alaska. His death, occurring while he was back in Anchorage, abruptly ended a young college basketball career as investigators continued trying to determine what led to the fatal encounter inside the East 5th Avenue residence.
